But speaking from Fiji, Ms Bishop told Fairfax Media there were "no issues of contention" raised during their phone call. Instead, she said they had a "warm and engaging conversation" and promised close engagement.

Ms Bishop frequently texted her former Indonesian counterpart Marty Natalegawa and the SMS-diplomacy looks set to continue, with the Foreign Minister confirming she and Ms Retno swapped mobile numbers during the call.

Ms Bishop said Ms Rento was aware of the 60-odd areas in which Australia and Indonesia have strong co-operation, including intelligence gathering.

Latika Bourke is a national political reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. She has previously worked for ABC and 2UE in Canberra. Latika won the Walkley Award for Young Australian Journalist of the Year in 2010.